Campbell Soup Co., American Heart Association Sued Over Health Claims

Campbell and the American Heart Association will be served in the coming days, Levitt said. After that, they have 30 days to either answer the complaint or file a motion to dismiss it.

Levitt said many people trust the American Heart Association's certification in their food shopping decisions.

According to the association's research, "85 percent of shoppers find the mark on packages 'helpful' or 'very helpful'. The Heart-Check Mark symbol increases by 75 percent the likelihood that a shopper will purchase the product that bears the mark," the lawsuit states. "When faced with a choice of similar products, the Heart-Check Mark symbol positively influences 60 percent of shoppers' purchase decisions."

"So all the more reason that there is public trust in the AHA heart checkmark," Levitt said. "We believe the fact that AJA and Campbell breached that trust is highly problematic."